International Law: A Critical Introduction

Description

This new edition provides a critical introduction to the concepts, principles and rules of international law through a consideration of contemporary international events. It examines both the possibilities and limitations of the legal method in resolving international disputes, and notes the actual effects of international law upon international disagreements. Such an approach remains sceptical rather than cynical, and is intended to provide the means by which the role of international law may be evaluated. This entails discussion of the legal quality of international law; the relationship between international law and international relations; the Eurocentricity' of international law; and the connection between political power and the ability to use or abuse (or ignore) international law. The new edition explores the impact of the United States' latest direction in foreign policy (arguably an intensification of pre-existing neo-conservative trends); considers in greater depth the issue of economic self-determination in relation to ex-colonial nations; expands the discussion of jurisdiction to cover immunity from jurisdiction; and covers recent developments at the International Criminal Court. Underlying the book is the assertion that international law is political in content (in the sense of being concerned with the exercise of power) but that it draws much of its effectiveness from its self-portrayal as being apolitical, or at least politically neutral.

Wade Mansell is Professor Emeritus at the Unviersity of Kent. Karen Openshaw holds a PhD in international law from the University of Kent.

The book is highly successful in its stated goal of providing a critical introduction to international law; one that foregrounds (rather than, as is customary, backgrounds) the operation of power and politics deep within the discipline itself and international law's deep connectedness to the (usually asymmetrical) exercise of power. -- Obiora Okafor, Professor of International Law at Osgoode Hall, York University, Toronto The first edition to this wonderful work promised that its critical approach would be "skeptical rather than cynical". In analysing international law through a political lens, it was extremely successful. I am delighted that the publishers have had the foresight to commission a second edition to enlighten us all. -- Roger S Clark, Board of Governors Professor, Rutgers Law School, New Jersey International Law: A Critical Introduction reaches below the surface of international law to interrogate the assumptions on which the system rests and bring to light its intimate connections with power. The work deepens our understanding of grand projects of global regulation through law, their capabilities and ultimate constraints. -- Patrick Thornberry, Emeritus Professor of International Law, Keele University This text provides an effective and efficient compass for the reader to navigate the current contemporary international law landscape. The text is easily read, and international legal principles are clearly and lucidly explained in a way which is commensurate with their complexity. The book covers the traditional topics of an international law module but the critical analysis of the exposition provides insight by painting with a broad brush the international political background against which law is played out. International Law: A Critical Introduction is welcome and timely. -- Professor Rebecca Wallace, Research Professor, Robert Gordon University, Aberdeen This is a welcome addition to public international law scholarship. There is much to criticise in international law's conventional representation as a politically neutral, rules-based system that often contrasts sharply with practice, and this book does well to peel off the layers of dogma to reveal a credible portrayal of the subject in terms of its ambitions, actors and methods. -- Michael Addo, Professor of Law, University of Notre Dame, and Director of the London Law Program A fresh and realistic approach to international law not seen in most traditional textbooks ... this book provides fresh balance in its approach to the relationship between international law and power politics. -- Ali Raiss-Tousi * Birkbeck, University of London *